1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical tooling devices, and more particularly to establishing highly accurate alignment by apparatus providing large precise measurements and method of application thereof. The invention provides a method of making measurements which are inherently extremely accurate for application to many large scale manufacturing processes.
2. Disclosure Information Statement
The history of the optical tooling industry is quite recent and by and large has been treated as an offshoot of surveying instrumentation; however, the industry has quickly developed capabilities beyond the scope of the surveying instrumentation. The primary reference work in the field is Optical Tooling for Precise Manufacture and Alignment by Philip Kissam (New York, 1962; McGraw-Hill Book Co.). It is believed that the industry arose in response to aircraft construction needs during World War II. Mass production techniques were consequently developed to provide uniform airframe construction, and, during the latter part of the War, these included the application of the alignment telescope and the fixed line-of-sight principle thereof.
The use of optical tooling has spread considerably since the 1940's and is now widely used in the processing industries, especially for the precise alignment of rollers in the pulp and paper industry, the plastics industry and metalworking. The alignment of rollers in the paper industry is frequently complicated by thermal considerations and by the slightly crowned configuration of the rollers.
In the past, the major providers of optical tooling have been the Kenffel & Esser Co. and the Brunson Instrument Co. Since their activity in the above-described field has been closely observed no separate and specific pre-examination patentability search has been conducted.